At least 72 players scheduled to face off in the Australian Open are now under a two-week quarantine in Melbourne after several positive cases of COVID-19 were discovered on charter flights. One flight from Doha, Qatar, to Melbourne was carrying 25 players, and two flights that arrived late last week brought 47 players. Organizers say dozens of staff, media, and officials who were on those flights are also forced to stay in their hotel rooms for two weeks. Some players disputed the restrictions, arguing that just because they were on the flight with infected passengers should not condemn them to quarantine. None of the positive cases on any of the flights were from the playing contingent, according to the Associated Press. Three cases from a flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne included a member of the flight crew, a coach, and someone from a TV broadcasting team who all tested negative, as required, before boarding. Other players who arrived separately will be allowed out of their rooms to practice for up to five hours a day.
Read it at Associated Press
